Post-Game Talk (GBU): The powerless play

[OkimLom]

G: Eichel, Dahlin, Middlestadt, ERod

B: Not mixing lines

U: Phil reminding us its hard to win in this league. Okposo admitting they weren't ready to go.

2nd time in 4 games that the players said they weren’t ready...THAT is no excuse for an organization that needed to change the culture and improve on starting games.

 

[Paxon]

Asked about Okposo's comments on not liking yesterday's practice Phil said something like "it's good that he thinks that" but then said he liked the tempo.

 

[CatsforReinhart]

Missing out on McDavid ruined this franchise

Eichel is nowhere near the generational talent everyone thought he was. sorry

Is that why Edmonton is doing so well? Didn't they miss the playoffs last year?

 

[Vito_81]

Not a good game at all, but the Avs got some major puck luck tonight

2 goals for in Wilson’s PPG, MacKinnon’s 1st created by pure luck.

Add in 3 Sabres posts (that I can recall) and a called back goal. Could have been different.

That being said, no excuse. PP needs to produce with that many chances. Need to get more done 5 on 5

File it away, be better Saturday.

 

[Bobby Bottle Service]

Nelson was so bad he made my baby cry.

 

[Der Jaeger]

Sabres need some of the talented kids to come up. Pilut should be first in line, and replace Nelson.

Sabres could use a old fashioned checking line. Sobotka-Larsson-Pominville. That'd free up ERod to play higher in the line-up.

 

[Buffaloed]

This game was over when someone not named Doug Allen stepped onto the ice to sing the anthems. The Sabres are looking at 9 automatic Thursday night losses at home if they don't find a way to get Allen out of choir practice.

 

[toomuchsauce]

G: Bowl-u, Dahlin, Eichel, (haven't looked at the shot attempts stats yet, but regardless) Mittelstadt, (probably) Reinhart, (maybe) Okposo, Larsson; that glove save by Hutton on Rantanen.
B: Ristolainen, Scandella, Nelson, Thompson.
U: The Buffalo Sabres' offense. They just...don't...have it. Good players come here and become bad.

Other thoughts:

The speed with which Dahlin is adapting to the NHL game is...encouraging. He was great tonight.

OneBuffalo is where offense goes to die. This, despite the fact that offense is exploding league-wide in both the NFL and NHL.

Tage Thompson...makes a really nice play defensive play followed almost immediately by a turnover on every shift he's played in a Sabres uniform so far this (regular) season. I mean, you expect young players to have ups and downs, but not both ups and downs *within the course of every shift he takes.*

Oh well. Shut it down, they suck again.

 

[brian_griffin]

Missing out on McDavid ruined this franchise

Eichel is nowhere near the generational talent everyone thought he was. sorry

Others have responded w.r.t. Eichel as the player, or McDavid shouldering the Oilers, but not sure your comment has any bearing on tonight's game, in a GBU thread.

Not a good game at all, but the Avs got some major puck luck tonight

2 goals for in Wilson’s PPG, MacKinnon’s 1st created by pure luck.

Add in 3 Sabres posts (that I can recall) and a called back goal. Could have been different.

That being said, no excuse. PP needs to produce with that many chances. Need to get more done 5 on 5

File it away, be better Saturday.

Yeah, this was a whole lot of bad at once combined with COL luck (and better skill).

Sabres need some of the talented kids to come up. Pilut should be first in line, and replace Nelson.

Sabres could use a old fashioned checking line. Sobotka-Larsson-Pominville. That'd free up ERod to play higher in the line-up.

While I agree in principle - I'd like to see ERod bumping down Thompson, for example - are you concerned about the pouring-molasses speed of that checking line? OTOH, I'd try it just to try it.

 

[Mr Orangeshirt]

This game was over when someone not named Doug Allen stepped onto the ice to sing the anthems. The Sabres are looking at 9 automatic Thursday night losses at home if they don't find a way to get Allen out of choir practice.

They need to play Thursday night games at Doug's church. Problem solved.

 

[Rasmus CacOlainen]

Just fire the baffoon already. We need a real coach, we are from good to average goaltending away from having 1 point instead of 4 from games so far. This cant go on.

 

[Man of Principles]

It wasn't as bad as the score indicated tonight. Some good O zone time but just couldn't penetrate. Breakouts still look shameful and too much standing still on D. Forwards weren't getting back after turnovers.

Dahlin continues to impress.

Where are you Jeff Skinner?

 

[DatGuy]

We have no Center depth, kinda an issue.

 

[Royal Thunder]

Missing out on McDavid ruined this franchise

Eichel is nowhere near the generational talent everyone thought he was. sorry

Cringe

McDavid has zero wins this season and a much worse supporting cast than Jack

I'm not jumping ship yet. Ugly night, let's go over .500 out west. Go Sabres

 

[Sabre the Win]

Cringe

McDavid has zero wins this season and a much worse supporting cast than Jack

I'm not jumping ship yet. Ugly night, let's go over .500 out west. Go Sabres

yeah but McDavid is the better all around player.

 

[Der Jaeger]

While I agree in principle - I'd like to see ERod bumping down Thompson, for example - are you concerned about the pouring-molasses speed of that checking line? OTOH, I'd try it just to try it.

If Housley did that, here's the lines:

Sheary-Eichel-Reinhart
Skinner-Berglund-Okposo
ERod-Mittelstadt-Thompson
Sobotka/Girgensons-Larsson-Pominville

1st line is good. Third line could be exciting, with ERod and Mitts together. 4th line could just back off and play NZT and pound opponents.

Sabres need another center. Ideally, Berglund is the 4C after this season.

 

[Royal Thunder]

yeah but McDavid is the better all around player.

I mean... clearly. The point is getting Jack instead of McDavid isn't why we suck

 

[wunderpanda]

G- they muted the boo's at the end of periods.

B- players admitting they can't get themselves up for practice or games

U- expecting any coach to make heartless players care

 

[Royal Thunder]

Go read the oilers post game thread if you want to feel better. It could always be worse folks, better things are on the way. 78 games to go.

 

[jBuds]

I know this will be destroyed, but I’m not that salty about this game.

Took penalties, got in a hole early, couldn’t score on the PP...it was a different feel than the garbage of yesteryear.

Who in the room stands up when they get in such a hole? Who is prepared to help talk the guys out of the feeling of “here we go again!”...? None of the letter wearers fit the bill, they need game and playoff experience themselves. It’s going to take time for everything to come together.

The key difference for me - and again, I know this will get Flamed - is the movement of the guys (particularly the wingers) when they don’t have the puck. I saw churning, I saw stops and Starts. I saw sticks used as an asset and not a flailing seatbelt for one’s waist.

I think what I’m trying to say is that this kind of 6-1 loss is a billion times more tolerable than the one of dejection we saw 68x last season. We lost every single loose puck battle, which reeks of last season on the surface... but instead of losing the battles because we arrive late or behind, or the wrong guy arrives, we lost a lot to bounces and shit puck luck.

It doesn’t change the notion that it’s not even close to good enough. But relative to what we’ve been for such an extended period of time, I’ll take this over other stuff.

Asked about Okposo's comments on not liking yesterday's practice Phil said something like "it's good that he thinks that" but then said he liked the tempo.

this is concerning, as it obviously was taken as a shot by Housley...since coaches and players seldom oppose each other on those sides of the debate. If anything it’s usuallg the other way around - coach Hates practice but players didn’t think it was bad

It doesn’t bode well for Housley that the alternate captain is so freely speaking negatively about the practice, no matter if he says he meant it pertaining to the players’ effort level or competitiveness, not as a slight to the plan or to the head coach. It’s absolutely the latter. It worries me, as you don’t really show those kinds of armor chinks in public if you’re fully on board with your coach.

 

[wnysupport]

Been to 2 games this year , guess which, lol

Some observations:

- Eichel was flying and vocal
- Reinhart is ridiculously smart, and always seems to be where he needs to be.
- Dahlin is adjusting well...when he gets confidence to jump into the play, watch out.

- Okposo is a tire fire. The PP1 time he is getting is horrible. The play died on his stick at least 4 times. He's trying, but lacking to execute.

- Nelson & Thompson need to be in the AHL. Call up Pilut & CJ or Nylander.

The rest weren't special enough either way for me to comment.

 

[toomuchsauce]

Been to 2 games this year , guess which, lol

Some observations:

- Eichel was flying and vocal
- Reinhart is ridiculously smart, and always seems to be where he needs to be.
- Dahlin is adjusting well...when he gets confidence to jump into the play, watch out.

- Okposo is a tire fire. The PP1 time he is getting is horrible. The play died on his stick at least 4 times. He's trying, but lacking to execute.

- Nelson & Thompson need to be in the AHL. Call up Pilut & CJ or Nylander.

The rest weren't special enough either way for me to comment.

I've only watched on TV, but I completely agree with your opinions here EXCEPT w/r/t Okposo. I think you're wrong there.

 

[Yatzhee]

Good: Not a whole lot.
Bad: same old same old
Ugly: 4 home games, 2 blowouts, 1 cling for dear life win, 1 solid win. Not encouraging.

Personal take: games 1 and 4 we see the same team from the past 2 years. games 2 and 3 we see a team actually committing to put the effort in.
There is definitely major holes in this line up still. And not a few, but many.
Toronto is a force, and we aren't remotely prepared to recon with them. Prepare for more losing.

 

[wnysupport]

I've only watched on TV, but I completely agree with your opinions here EXCEPT w/r/t Okposo. I think you're wrong there.

I think my concern is his PP1 play.

5v5 it's not as noticable...but on the PP he's not able to play the same pace as the other 4.

 

[darcyRegier]

Something I've noticed that is different from last year is how active the defensemen's sticks are in the neutral zone, opposing team's transition is being broken up multiple times per game.

Also Okposo needs to get off pp1, there's just too few options for a successful zone entry besides Eichel. I'd switch Okposo and Erod on pp1